Blazing 'fireballs' shoot across the sky in southern England before 'falling to earth' as dozens of people report hearing a deafening boom

Dozens of skywatchers reported spotting the meteors on Saturday morning
The first appeared just after midnight while the second appeared six hours later
Footage shows the first fireball lighting up the sky as it increases in size

Published: 14:24 GMT, 26 November 2017 | Updated: 11:16 GMT, 12 December 2017

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Two huge fireballs were widely seen across the country as they blazed across the skies this weekend.

Dozens of skywatchers reported spotting the first meteor which flew over England, Wales and northern France shortly after midnight on Saturday.

Several even said they heard rumbling and 'multiple booms lasting 2-3 seconds' as the object passed overhead although others said it was silent.

The fireball filmed in Wilcot, Wiltshire was classified as a bolide which is the term used when a meteor causes a flash as bright as the moon

Experts classified it as a bolide, which is the term used when a meteor causes a flash as bright as the moon.

Footage of the fireball, filmed in Wilcot, Wiltshire, shows a bright dot rapidly getting bigger as it travels across the sky.

It culminates in a huge flash of light before quickly reducing in size until it disappears.

Another meteor was seen flying across the same region six hours later with some witnesses reporting that it appeared to break up in the sky.

UK Meteor Observation Network member Richard Fleet said the first fireball was the second brightest the country had seen in three years.

Map released by the American Meteor Society showing where the first fireball was reported just after midnight on Saturday

Second map showing where the later meteor was spotted at around 7am on Saturday morning

He told Sky News: 'It would have been coming in at about 20km/s (44,740mph). The Space Station is moving at about 8km/s (17,896mph).

'There are multiple flashes as it breaks up. It would have happened at about an altitude of about 30km (19 miles).'

He added that the meteor would have measured about six inches across.

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